1.12.2007

Happy Birthday Boy~!

Back in the middle of December Boy turned added another ring to his tree trunk. We usually take each out for birthdays but I wanted to do something a little bit more special, something a bit more tailored to what he loves.

To put it simply, the Boy loves beer.

Hmmm, at first I thought about getting him a case of Westvleteren Trappist ale which is not available in the states but I decided against that when the mailing seemed a bit dodgy. What if it never showed up? (Which has happened to Boy before with international purchases). So instead I got him a case of delicious domestic beer. Now this is not just any domestic beer, but Stone Brewery's 10th Anniversary IPA. Only a limited batch was released and lucky me, I picked up the last full case of these at Beverage Warehouse.

But the real gift was a dinner - a five-course beer and food pairing dinner plus the addition of a special pre-dinner nibbly. Here's the menu:

Pre-dinner: Zonin Prosecco & Iberico Bellota Lomo
I got the lomo from the first batch of em (after FDA approval) that was sent over to the U.S. back last summer. It is seriously stupendous. I love pork. Especially the cured kind.

Marshmallow-Stuffed Sweet Potato Croquettes with Cranberry Chutney
*Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest White Ale*
sweetpotato
cranchutney
hitachino

Croque Madame with Southern Peppered Bacon, White Truffle Oil & Quail Egg
*Ommegang Witte*
croquemadame
ommegangwitte

Roquefort & Roasted Garlic on Charcoal Cracker
*Moylan's Old Blarney Barleywine Style Ale*
roquefort
moylansbarleywine

Skirt Steak with Arugula, Harissa & Ricotta Salata
*Alesmith YuleSmith*
Sorry, I forgot to take pics for this one!

Ricotta Fritters with Prosecco Berry Compote
*Girardin 1882 Gueuze Black Label*
ricottafritter
girardingueuze

Overall the dinner went really well and Boy proclaimed "This is the best meal I've ever had!" Of course we know what really won him over is the overflowing of all sorts of delicious beers. And the croque madame.

12 comments:

Lynn L. said...

What a cool menu for the beer pairing!! Looks delicious - nice work! :)

cricketwang said...

You never cease to amaze me, Yoon. "Boy" is a lucky guy!

Ed said...

OK, what's your source for all these wonderful, different beers?

Anonymous said...

Good thing I didn't try a croque madame in Paris because I surely would have been disappointed. I'm positive that Yoony makes a better croque madame than all of Paris.

susan said...

hi sibuduhmanm,

i used google and looked up "beer food pairing" and came up with articles such as:
http://beertravelers.com/lists/pairings.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/17/WIGHKBA1OC1.DTL
http://www.beercook.com/
http://www.allaboutbeer.com/food/232-cheeseandbeer.html

also a great source for beer is www.beeradvocate.com and Boy's site http://beerblahblog.blogspot.com.

susan said...

hi yoonyang,

i can't believe we didn't get to try a proper croque monsieur/madame in paris! it's really a bistro staple. booh. i guess that means i just better keep makin ones at home. mmm, how about one w/mexican chorizo, queso fresco & smoked cheddar? damn, why do i make myself hungry so early in the mornings. hope you're feeling better by the way! 'cause we need to go eat some yummy food!

justinsloe said...

beer and yoonyfood makes an old man happy

Anonymous said...

once i saw the post, i knew it was boy heaven.....

i envy you boy....GRRR!

susan said...

whoa han nah, envying boy over a beer-food pairing? is this a new leaf turning? :D beer time!

Chubbypanda said...

Beeriffic!

Anonymous said...

no yoony..you know that i am not envious of the beer...i don't think i will ever get to that point...i am envious of the yoonyfood....

Anonymous said...

what a lucky dude!
modernist